Slate roof repair and tile repairs in Leeds
A slate roof repair and a tile repair are two different jobs, and the difference matters more than most people are told. Slate is nailed, tile is usually hung on battens, and what fails on each is completely different.
On a slate roof the nails go before the slate does. The slate itself will outlast everyone reading this, but the nails holding it corrode, and once enough of them have gone the slates start sliding out one at a time. That is nail sickness, and it is the single most common reason a Leeds terrace needs work.
On a tile roof the tile goes before the fixing does. Concrete tiles get brittle and porous with age, frost gets into them, and they crack or delaminate. Clay tiles spall. Either way you are replacing units rather than re-fixing them.
Which one you have got decides whether you are looking at a morning of work or a re-roof, so it is worth getting the answer right before anyone quotes.
- Slate replacement
- Tile replacement
- Nail sickness
- Verge and bedding repairs
- Matching reclaimed slate
You probably need this if
Signs worth acting on
- Slates or tiles on the ground, in the gutter, or visibly out of line from the pavement
- More than one or two gaps appearing across a slope over a couple of years
- Grit or fragments of tile washing out of the downpipe
- A slate that has slipped back into place and is sitting proud of the ones around it
- Daylight visible through the roof from inside the loft
- Tiles that ring dull rather than sharp when tapped
How I do it
What the job involves
- 1Work out whether it is the unit or the fixing
One cracked tile is a repair. Slates coming out in ones and twos across a whole slope is nail sickness, and a slate roof repair on that is throwing money at a roof that needs stripping.
- 2Match what is already there
Reclaimed slate to match size and colour, or the right tile profile. A patch in the wrong material is visible from the street for the next thirty years and costs the same to do properly on the day.
- 3Fix it the way the roof is fixed
Slates get tingled or re-nailed depending on where they sit. Tiles get clipped or nailed as the original detail requires. Nothing gets stuck down.
- 4Check the batten and felt while it is open
A slate comes off, the batten underneath is visible, and if it is rotten it is worth knowing now rather than in two years.
On your street
Leeds is two roofing cities, and the line runs through Headingley
West and north of the centre the roofs are slate. The Victorian terraces and villas through Headingley, Hyde Park, Woodhouse, Burley, Kirkstall and Meanwood were built when Welsh slate arrived by rail and it was the cheapest thing to put on a roof. Those roofs are between 110 and 150 years old now, the slate is generally still sound, and it is the nails that have run out. A slate roof repair on one of those streets is nearly always a nail question rather than a slate question.
Further out, on the interwar semis at Adel, Cookridge, Weetwood, Moortown, Alwoodley and Horsforth, the roofs are concrete tile from the twenties and thirties. Those tiles are now approaching a hundred years old, and concrete tile of that era does not age gracefully: it goes porous, holds water, and then frost takes it apart. The damage tends to appear across a whole slope at once rather than in one spot, because every tile on that slope is the same age and has had the same weather.
Out at Bramhope, Otley, Ilkley and the villages toward Wharfedale you get stone slate, which is a third thing again. Thick, heavy, laid in diminishing courses with the big ones at the eaves, and often oak-pegged rather than nailed. A stone slate roof repair is a slower and more careful job than a Welsh slate one, because the courses have to go back in the right order and the weight is unforgiving. If yours is stone, say so when you ring, because it changes the job and it changes the price.
The practical advice is the same whichever you have got. If one slate or tile has come off, get it back on: a slate roof repair caught early is an hour of work. If several have come off over a couple of winters, stop patching and get somebody to tell you honestly whether the roof has reached the end.
Half the quotes I am asked to check are for a full re-roof on a roof that needs a day of work, and the other half are for a slate roof repair on a roof that has already been patched twelve times and should have been stripped two winters ago. Getting that call right is worth more to you than any price I could quote.
Not sure if that is what you have got?
Send me a photo. I will tell you what I think it is and roughly what it costs, before anyone comes out.
Call 07770 902292Slate & Tile Roof Repairs: common questions
What is nail sickness?
The nails holding the slates have corroded through. The slates themselves are usually still fine, but nothing is holding them, so they start slipping out across the whole roof rather than in one spot. Patching it does not stop it.
Can you match my old slates?
Usually, with reclaimed slate of the same size and colour. It is worth doing. A patch in the wrong slate is visible from the pavement for the next thirty years and costs the same to do properly on the day.
A few tiles have come off. Does that mean I need a new roof?
Not on its own. One or two after a storm is a repair. Several coming off across a slope over a couple of winters usually means the fixings or the tiles have reached the end, and that is a different conversation.
How much does a roof repair cost in Leeds?
Most small repairs, a slipped tile or a bit of flashing, land between £150 and £400. A bigger job needs a look first. I quote in writing before anything starts, and the quote is the price.
Do you charge for quotes?
No. I come out, look at the roof properly, and tell you what it needs. If it does not need doing, I will say so.
How quickly can you come out?
For a leak, usually the same day or the next morning. I will get it watertight first and sort the proper repair once the weather allows.
Are you insured?
Yes, fully insured for public liability. Ask to see the certificate and I will send it over before I start.
Where I work
Slate & Tile Roof Repairs across Leeds and about 15 miles around it.
Other things I do
Get in touch
Get a free quote from a local roofer.
Tell me what you need and I'll get back to you to arrange a look.